Sri Lankan former President Mahinda Rajapaksa attends a parliament session in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Dec. 18, 2018. Sri Lankan former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who resigned from the prime ministerial position last Saturday was appointed as leader of the opposition at the parliament by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Tuesday amid objections from the ruling party. The parliament convened on Tuesday for the first time since the reinstatement of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, which put an end to a political impasse which erupted since his sudden dismissal on Oct. 26. (Xinhua/A.HAPUARACHCHI)